SKIPPACK TWP., Pa. - A cooler full of baby trout and a Montgomery County creek served as a classroom Thursday.
For Evergreen Elementary 4th graders, part of the Perkiomen Creek in Skippack Township became a welcomed release from the confines of school.
Hundreds of baby trout were released into the creek Thursday morning, the culmination of a yearlong class. From feeding and changing the fish tank, the students cared for the trout since they were eggs.
Teacher Kevin Tomlinson says they partnered with Trout Unlimited for the experimental education.
"The last couple of years, we've had kids in front of the screen a lot. And our goal really was to find a way to kind of break that, get kids outside," he said.
From learning about macro invertebrates to making a fly and casting a line, Trout Unlimited's Jim Coffee says the course's goal has impacts far outside the classroom.
"Water quality in the United States is improved. But it really was improved because people demanded it. You know, things don't happen unless the average everyday citizen demands it or works towards that, and that's what we want these kids to do," he said.
For student Hannah Felty, it's a lesson in saying goodbye.
"It's a little sad just because like when we go back to our classroom, there's going to be nothing in the tank," she told us.
It's a curriculum for conservation.
